Final Checkmate
by Galadriadhar
Summary: An enemy believed to be dead is still alive. And he is controlling the pieces in the deadliest game of chess ever. If he is not stopped, existence as it is known will come to a halt....
1. Entri

The silent darkness carried enough power to strike fear into the hearts of the most powerful end boss, for though it was silent, it was not still. A quiet whorl disturbed the black, and deposited a figure on the cold, obsidian floor. The figure landed on its lightly curled toes, and settled back on its feet. He, for it was a he, shook his black-gloved hands, knocking a grayish residue off them. Then he dusted off his purple-and-yellow striped jacket, and more grayish dust fell from his clothing. His half-black, half-pale purple face was creased in a permanent smirk.

He looked around, his yellow-purple jester's hat bobbing to and fro. Whatever he saw seemed to please him, for his smirk deepened, if that were possible. He walked over to an ebony table, also made of obsidian. On the table sat what looked like a chess set. This chess set, however, was different from traditional chess sets. In place of the white queen was a figurine of Princess Peach. The black king was in the shape of Bowser, King of the Koopas. There was no black queen; she had been taken from the board a long time ago. Mario took the place of the white king. The other pieces- the bishops, rooks, knights, and pawns- were in the shapes of other beings.

The figure picked up one of the black knights and examined it. It must be noted, for the reader's sake, that this particular knight was modeled after Kamek. The figure's smile broadened, and he placed the Kamek-shaped knight forward a space.

"So I arrive, like a pre-ordered book on its release day. And with my arrival comes a reign of fear that not even the so-called 'Heroes' will be able to prevent."

A/N: So arrives a new story from me! Not like I don't have enough already. I just have _extreme_ writer's block. Hope this is the start of an epic tale...


	2. In Quale Noi Ottenere Un Inizio Di Un Ar

The sun rose over the Koopa Kingdom, casting its rays of light over the volcanic wastes and small spots of grass that made up the land. The rays of light illuminated Bowser's Castle, a monstrosity made of igneous rock and metal. Here lived Bowser, the leader of the Koopas. With his bushy eyebrows and fire breath, he was the terror of the land. And this imposing fortress was his base. A Bob-omb bird watched as Bowser paced in front of a battalion of Koopatrols. He was shaking his head in frustration.

"Why do I have to deal with such incompetent minions? Dirt stains on armor, grass all over your backs. What were you doing? Lying on the grass?"

The Koopatrols looked everywhere but at Bowser. Bowser took this to mean that they had, in fact, been lying in the grass.

"You all are sentenced to kitchen clean-up for a week. We are clean here, minions." Bowser turned on the Koopatrol battalion and walked back into his castle. The minions waited for him to go, then started complaining.

The complaints of the Koopatrols fell on deaf ears, Bowser's as well as Kamek's. In fact, none of the fiasco on the field had reached Kamek's ears, and even if it had Kamek would have sided with Bowser. The Magikoopa was Bowser's loyal right hand. And, at that moment, he was asleep in the second-highest tower in the castle. He wouldn't be asleep for long.

At that moment, Ludwig von Koopa was chasing his brother, Larry, down the hallway outside Kamek's room.

"Larry!" Ludwig hollered. "Get back here vith that generator! It iz very volatile!"

Kamek's eyes shot open. He jumped out of bed and raced out the door, heading for Larry and Ludwig so he could stop whatever it was that was happening.

"Don't drop it!" Kamek heard Ludwig yell, just as he and Larry came into view. "It might-"

_BOOOOOM!_

A large explosion engulfed the corridor. Kamek started coughing from the ash. When he opened his eyes, the smoke had cleared and the hallway was coated in soot. He himself was covered in soot. Kamek wiped the soot off his glasses and placed them back on his face.

"-explode," Ludwig finished.

"That... was COOL!" Larry yelled.

"You fool!" Ludwig shouted. "That could haf blown up the entire castle!"

Kamek tried to intervene, but Ludwig shouted over Kamek. "Now I haf to make a new one! Thankz a lot!"

Kamek sighed and left before the argument became too violent.

"...And so, that is why we need to crack down on the Goomba rebels," Kammy finished. Bowser looked at her blankly.

"So what you are saying," Kevin, the Koopatrol captain, began, "Is that the Goombas are squirreling away precious resources from our stockpiles and we need those resources to help us take over the Mushroom Kingdom? That's why we should try and defeat the Goomba rebels?"

Kammy looked vaguely uncomfortable. "Yes, that's what I mean."

Bowser slammed the tabletop with his hand. "Well, that's not what I heard! I heard a bunch of nonsense about 'proportions' and 'complications.'" Kamek had to stifle laughter at the fact that Kammy had made a fool of herself in front of the King. Kammy heard him and, fuming, sat down.

The Head of Assembly- an old, wizened Hammer Bro- stood up after Kammy sat down. "Next we shall hear from Sir Kamek of the Magikoopas. Sir Kamek."

Kamek stood and walked to the front of the room. He turned and faced the Assembly. "Honorable members of the Assembly, I bring before you something we have not seen for a while. That is, I bring before you a plan. A plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom."

A/N: Sorry for the long time it took to write this. I didn't know what to write. Anyway, enough of that. The second part of this chapter is based on the story Question Box by MikariStar. In the story, we see that the Koopa Kingdom actually has a Parliament of sorts. It's a very good story. I suggest reading it. This chapter's title is in Italian, meaning "In which we get a beginning of a plot." Also, I am currently open to suggestions for Kamek's plan.


	3. Domanda E Le Tenebre

The Assembly began whispering among itself. The Arch-Governor of the Koopas, one of the Heads of Species, stood.

"Arch-Governor Koopis, what have you to say?" the Head of Assembly asked.

"Grand Head, sir, I come with a question for the esteemed Sir Kamek. Sir Kamek, are you sure that this plan that you have proposed will work?" Arch-Governor Koopis questioned. There were murmurs of approval of the question from the various Assembly members. Kamek waited for the murmuring to die down before speaking.

"Arch-Governor, the answer to your question is I don't know if this plan will work. This plan, as I before mentioned, came to me when I was sleeping. There is nothing saying that this is a foolproof plan, simply for the reason it was a dream. I don't know if it will be successful. Is that enough for you?"

Arch-Governor Koopis looked around at the expectant faces. He looked back at Kamek and nodded. "This is a suitable answer. I am always willing to follow a plan that has a small chance of failure than one that has a certain chance of success."

The Head of Assembly turned to the other Heads of Species. "What do the rest of the Heads believe? Shall we adopt Sir Kamek's plan?"

The Grand Senator of the Parakoopas, Parakoopis, stood. "This is certainly the best plan heard to date. I say aye!"

"Yes, this plan pleases us. We agree!" Goomastasia, the Queen of the Goombas, said, getting to her feet.

The Laird Lyle Majicks, of the Magikoopas, rose next. "Ah believe this plan can be one ah can support."

Last to rise was Therik Hammerson, Jarl of the Hammer Brothers. "Arr, this plan be right. Just right for the army of the 'Ammer Brothers."

Kamek mentally sighed in relief; he wasn't sure the Assembly would agree to such a quickly put together plan. He got down from the speaking stand and walked over to talk with the Heads of Species. He had some planning to do.

* * *

The darkness quivered, but did not deposit a figure, for the figure was already there. The darkness writhed and shook, and took the form of a three-headed dragon. The dragon dematerialized when the figure snapped his fingers. The figure walked to an obsidian stand containing water. He took a nearby cup and stirred the water with it, then took up a cupful and drank deeply. Placing a finger in the water, he swirled the water counterclockwise and then clockwise. He mumbled a few indistinguishable words and a picture appeared, reflected on the water's surface.

He bent over the stand, and saw Kamek talking with the Heads of Species. His ever-present smile broadened. The figure breathed gently on the water, dispelling the reflection. Turning to the left, he walked across the floor to the table containing the chess board.

As he sat down on an ebony chair, he picked up the white queen, looking closely at it before setting it down back in its space. He then picked up a white pawn and put it forward two spaces on the board.

"And so the other side moves," he said to the dark abyss.

A/N: Finally! A chapter on this story! I'm very sorry about the wait. I wish I could say the time was spent crafting the chapter to perfection, but it wasn't. Anyway, I found this chapter a little hard to write due to the fact that I don't know what character to focus on next. When that hits, it really puts a damper on the writing process.

So, like I said in 100 Days, I got this chapter out this week. Thanks to all the reviewers of both of these stories.


End file.
